Psalm 67 was a song sung while being accompanied by stringed instruments. The psalmist is asking God to do three things (67:1) so that the nations may know God’s ways and his salvation. The three that are requested for Israel include:

1. Grace which is mercy in the midst of an inadequate people.
2. Blessing of God which would manifest the fullness of life as described by Jesus when he referred to it as “life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10, ESV) For Israel this abundant life was identified as increase (Deuteronomy 7:13 and 28:3-6) rain/life (Hosea 6:3; Psalm 133:3), food (Psalm 132:15) and other gifts (Psalm 128).
3. God’s face shining on them is an indication of God’s attention which included his favor, protection, life, abundance, etc. (The opposite would be for God to turn his face away or turn his back to them.) This request is directly from the blessing the priests were assigned to speak to the people on God’s behalf in Numbers 6:22-27.

Israel, the people of God, desired (as was God’s plan) to be used by God to show forth his glory, greatness and the blessings of walking in his ways. The rest of the dark, lost world could receive the same “salvation” when they saw and understood what and why Israel was great. When the nations understood and received this salvation they would “praise” God in joyful song. The text in verse 4 literally says then the nations will “rejoice and sing gladly.”

If the nations could understand and receive God as Israel had then they too would find that God would:

1. “rule the peoples justly” (67:4)
2. “guide the nations of the earth.” (67:4)

Both of these statements have a prophetic element to them since this has always been the final state in God’s plan of salvation progressively revealed through history. The day the Lord rules in justice and guides the nations of earth into abundant harvests and blessings has been planned and prepared. The ends of the earth will fear God when they hear the knowledge of God and enjoy the blessing of his rule.

In their book “Pagan Christianity” Frank Viola and George Barna identify eight ways the modern Christian has been trained to approach the Scriptures in an attempt to find meaning and create their own individualistic form of self-centered Christianity:

1. Look for verses that inspire you, then highlight, memorize, meditate
and hang on refrigerator.
2. Look for verses that identify a promise from God, confess it, believe
it and receive the
promise from God.
3. Look for verses that are a command from God
for you to do, make a
checklist and obey
4. Look for verses resist Satan and quote to
scare the devil and
resist temptation
5. Look for verses that will prove your doctrinal position to use in
theological battle
6. Look for verses to quote to others to keep them in line and manipulate their lives
7. Look for verses that “preach” well and can be used as springboards
into sermon topics
8. Look at random verses you flip to and read in
hopes of receiving a
personal word from God.